I drove my boss into work this morning. For over an hour, we chatted about Bengals football. Granted, he's not the type that keeps checking the main sites hourly to see if there's any change. I know, he's the weird one, not me. One thing we talked about was cornerbacks. He said that the combination of Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph will be exciting. I agree.
That's not all folks.
We're hearing and seeing that Deltha O'Neal is closer to his 2005 form (Pro Bowl, 10 picks) than his 2006 burden. Likely he'd start over Leon Hall, provided Joseph is healthy enough to play. And with Joseph out, it's giving Keiwan Ratliff time to impress everyone. He's doing just that. We've heard through OTAs and early training camp how much he's improved.
Here's the thing about Ratliff, as Chick Ludwig points out.
Like Ahmad Brooks, it seems that Ratliff is having a light bulb moment.
Teammates and coaches have taken notice. And judging from the tipped passes, solid tackling and blanket coverage he's shown so far in training camp, Ratliff appears ready to make his mark ... so far.
"Keiwan needs to just keep playing and practicing the way he's doing," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's had a great spring and offseason, and he's had a great five days of work here thus far."
Added Joseph: "Keiwan's been making plays ever since the spring. He's been re-surging, doing what's asked of him and making a household name for himself."
If Ratliff turns his mediocre three seasons into a season we expected out of him being the second round pick and future, the Bengals could compete with any team in the league with the best cornerback depth. Is that too much of a homer statement? Perhaps. Then again, I do write about the Bengals in my limited spare time wearing a Willie Anderson jersey listening to Bootsy Collins all day.
Ambulance becoming unwelcome regular
Tuesday afternoon, another tight end was taken from the field, via ambulance, after suffering a lower back injury. Newly acquired back up tight end, Bobby Blizzard was transported to the Georgetown Community Hospital. Curnutte says he was back by 6:45 p.m.
After Sean Mulcahy neck injury and Blizzard's back injury, that leaves Reggie Kelly, Daniel Coats and Tim Day at tight end.
Could it be Glenn Holt?
"I'm feeling more confident this year and I really want to show my receiver skills because I know I can play receiver as well as kickoff return and special teams," Holt said. [Dayton Daily News]
Henderson coming into his own
Geoff Hobson published a good read on Eric Henderson. The defensive end converted to linebacker. John Thornton calls him the "prettiest one out here". Now you need to click on the story, don't you?
Everett clashes with Florida police
Damn it, Adam
It's like Ken Griffey Jr. While Griffey suffers plenty of injuries in Cincinnati, all of them are serious injuries. Not those nagging, play only half a season type of pains. When Griffey goes down, he's usually done for the season. Adam Kieft, the guy that hasn't practiced since his rookie season in 2005, pounded the ground waiting for the cart after hurting an old injury. You just feel bad for a guy like that who, at this rate, will never see the field of a regular season game.
Palmer says we're #1
"We expect to win our division and make a run at it,'' Palmer said. "We've got enough players, we've got good coaches and we've got some experience. We feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody at making a run at it. - Pittsburgh Live
Think we'd ever hear those words from, oh, I don't know, Carl Pickens?
Hometown boy battling for spot
Jeff Smith is the #4 quarterback on the Cincinnati Bengals depth chart behind #2 Doug "annoying" Johnson and Jeff Rowe. Smith went to college at, get this, Georgetown Kentucky.
"It’s really cool," Smith said of returning to Georgetown for training camp. "I’m seeing a lot of familiar faces and my family is here watching every day. The comfort factor is definitely helping me out." [The News-Enterprise]